In naming the song Ostatni track (The Last Track) ,Pezet contradicts himself. This title is typically used to announce a metamorphosis or a slight change in style. But his audience is probably hardly surprised. Pezet has been an artist in the Polish hip-hop scene for years now, beginning his career with Onar (Marcin Donesz) in a group called Płomień 81 / Flame 81.
He then collaborated with another rapper, Noon (Mikołaj Bugajak), on two albums Muzykę klasyczną / Classical Music and Muzykę poważną / Serious Music. A decade after their release, these two albums are incontrovertibly two of the best records in the history of Polish hip-hop - or in other words, Polish pop music. Pezet’s style is constantly evolving and sometimes takes on many directions all at once. Some of the characteristics have gradually eroded while others have strengthened and helped to create a solid foundation in his work.
Above all, Pezet’s music is revealing of his multifaceted personality and this becomes very obvious to anyone who listens to more than a handful of his songs. Here are a few of the Varsovian rapper's qualities at a glance:
- Pezet is a flâneur, a French word referring to the act of strolling. He wanders the streets and neighbourhoods of cities and describes them in concise rhymes
- Pezet is a party animal who raps about clubbing and the effects of the use, and abuse, of stimulants
- Pezet loves women and this love forges a deeper connection to his role as a party person
- Pezet is a poet because there are few rappers who can be so concise and yet manage to capture bits of reality in their rhymes
- Pezet is an exhibitionist who without embarrassment is able to reveal his most intimate thoughts and feelings
Here we are dealing with the latest version of Pezet who “doesn’t care about social systems” and is “driven to madness” in “wondering whether this shit is needed at all?” This is a rapper who can no longer drink vodka, “doesn’t want to do cocaine” and is getting older all the time. But instead of writing in detail about the song, it would be better just to listen to it. What could use more description are the remixes of Ostatniego tracku (The Last Track) that have accompanied the recording. The song has been set on 12-inch vinyl records with remixes by artists like Galus, DJ Krunga, Daniel Drumz, Teielte and Kixnare.
In Galus’s remix, the drums are pulled to the forefront and blur the other sounds under their weight; sounding a bit stuffy and very climatic. Teielte approached Pezet’s track in the most creative fashion by upping the tempo and adding melody through a diverse set of digital sounds. Daniel Drumz transformed Ostatni track (The Last Track) into a rock song with some prickly percussion and syncopation with synthesisers. Kixnare decided to accent the bass and depth in the recording; giving it a retro-futuristic tone that sounds a bit like dubstep.
Releasing a vinyl and having the main track accompanied by remixes made by fellow artists in the hip-hop culture scene is a nice sight (and sound) and shows us that Pezet is returning to his roots with great class.
*Located on one of the walls in Warsaw’s Młociny district is a quote from Pezet’s Re-flesji (Re-flection) that reads “How does it feel to disappoint a person?” In the dense neighbourhood that is filled with Soviet block-style apartments, the words are very suggestive - and could be included in any album documenting Polish critical art.
Pezet - Ostatni Track (The Last Track), Koka Beats/ JuNouMi Records, August 2013.
Author: Filip Lech, August 2013
Translation: SMG 22/08/2013